Heat Week 2022

Addressing heat concerns in our community

In June 2021, the Pacific Northwest was embroiled in a heat dome effect, reaching high temperature records from Oregon to British Columbia. We had a cool and wet spring, but another June heat wave this week served as a reminder that we need to be prepared for more frequent and intense weather events.

This year, Heat Week was created to help the community learn how to prepare their households for warmer summers and take action together to cool our neighborhoods. Friends of Trees is proud to be a part of this work, because trees provide a powerful cooling effect to communities.

Heat Week is a series of events organized to commemorate the historic Heat Dome of June 2021, remember those who died due to disparities across our community, and bring together practitioners, professionals and community leaders to share information and resources across a range of heat and climate related topics. Heat Week kicked off on Sunday with an event at Leach Botanical Garden, where leaders and experts commemorated those who died during the extreme weather last year and made calls to address climate change.

“Communities at this higher latitude are arguably the most underprepared for these kinds of events,” Portland State University Professor Vivek Shandas said. “We saw that really bear down on us last year.”

Heat Week includes five days of events for professionals and community members across the Metro region. These include a mix of in-person and virtual events, most of which are open to the public. By sharing resources, data, and quality information with our growing network of heat adaptation professionals, Heat Week is creating needed discussion around climate realities—discussions meant to serve the larger public.

Heat Week was initiated by CAPA Strategies, a climate adaptation and planning analytics company that is motivated by community collaboration and resilience. Partners include Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, Families for Climate, Multnomah County Health Department, Washington County Health Department, Clackamas County Disaster Management and Public Health, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Verde, Familias en Acción, 350 PDX, Community Energy Project, and Friends of Trees.

Take a look at Heat Week events here!